Violence in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

by wakeel97 (student)

Ahmed El Wakeel 26/5/2012

The Outsiders Essay
Violence

There are many controversial and notorious topics that are portrayed in many different pieces of literature. Such aspects and factors sometimes play a role in delivering a particular message to the reader or to the audience. In other cases, such factors don't play any role at all, but that is barely noticeable. Moving on, we may identify some of these aspects, which are for example, drug use, sex, alcoholism, and violence. One of the most controversial out of these factors is violence. Violence can portray many different messages through different pieces of literature. Some pieces may illustrate violence as an efficient solution to problems, and some others may portray it as only a spark that causes more tragedy. The specific case that will be discussed is the fusing of violence into the mesmerizing novel, The Outsiders. This particular novel captures the young American community of the 1960s and takes you deep into the life of a particular group of people that are involved in all sorts of violence, smoking and alcoholism.

Violence was clearly portrayed in the novel The Outsiders, but there have been many views of what violence represents in the novel. I honestly think that the violence is very predictable in the novel. I think this violence in the novel is predictable because of the fact that you are dealing with two rival gangs or groups from different social and financial background. There have been many verbal confrontations between the Socs and the Greasers, and like any other problem or rivalry, it progressively got worse to include physical violence and end up with someone getting killed and other second hand deaths. It is also predictable, because the problem and the rivalry stems from the clear and obvious fact of the social and financial differentiation between both groups. Jealousy and envy are from the Greasers side is physiologically bound to happened no matter what, due to the fact that the Socs exercise a life way better than theirs. On the other hand, conceitedness is also bound to occur from the Socs side and point of view. But also, the lack of love and emotions between some of the Socs and their families causes them to take their anger and stress out on the Greasers with the excuse of having fun. So, as we see, it is not just a simple rivalry that leads to violence but it stems back to a whole other topic of having a very effective socioeconomic system that divides the groups and creates tension between them. This all roots back to the issue of having a weak economy, but that is a whole different point. Another factor that makes violence predictable is the very beginning of the Novel. At the beginning of the novel, a violent act occurs by the Socs against Ponyboy, one of the Greasers. The Socs attempt to jump and attack Ponyboy, but they don't go through with it because the Greasers save Ponyboy. The mere fact of having an act of violence at the very beginning of anything foreshadows and gives the impression to the reader that there is still more to come of this. That was exactly the case in The Outsiders.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Moving on, we can analyze the message that is portrayed through the use of violence in this particular novel by interpreting the different events and impacts of violence in the plot of the novel itself. Regarding the plot, violence plays a great part in the message of the novel which is to be stated later. Violence between the two gangs or groups escalates and results in the death of a Soc called Bob by Johnny, who had stabbed him in his back to rescue Ponyboy from the Socs and from drowning Ponyboy. The boys then have to flee and their escape is organized by their friend, Dally. The boys hide in abandoned church which is later set on fire with some kids inside. Johnny attempts to save the children in the burning church and receives injuries that eventually kill him in the hospital. Thus, violence had directly ended the life of young Bob the Soc and indirectly ended the life of Johnny the Greaser. If anyone thinks about it, if Johnny hadn't belonged to the gang both deaths wouldn't have occurred, and that stems back to the problem of Johnny belonging to the gang which is also caused by violence. Johnny is physically and emotionally abused at his home, which causes him to need love and acceptance from the gang which is one of the reasons he belongs to the gang. Dallas is also later killed because he engages in violent acts on the streets. When he is confronted by the police he is believed to have a gun and he is shot dead. Through the interpretation of the following events we can conclude that the message of the novel regarding violence is that it causes more and more tragedy and loss and never solves a problem, but negatively escalates and progresses it into something bigger that will cause more violence.

Violence in the case of this particular novel causes nothing but loss, death and tragedy. This portrayal of violence shows that violence is never a solution for any problem, and that there will always be different solutions that may be acted upon and implemented rather than acting with violence. But, a statement can also be made that it is not fully the fault of the Socs or the Greasers, but the acts of violence can be related back to the fault of the community and the society itself. The society is the one that has created some of these violent people through aspects that impacted their lives such social segregation, financial problems and the weak role of the authorities.

Regarding the issue of the differentiation of the interpretation of violence based on the date, I honestly think that violence is violence, no matter where or when. Acts of unjust violence should be punished and chastised no matter what. Violence is a violation of basic human rights and shouldn't be treated any differently because of a specific period of time or place. But the use of violence in literature pieces now differs from the use of violence back in the sixties. Back in the 60s, violence was pure, it was barely associated with any other acts of injustice; violence was just the result of a fight or a rivalry. Nut, nowadays violence barely comes on its own, violence is always cooperated with sex, mostly drugs or alcoholism. As we've seen in the novel, the violence was no more than the result of a rivalry between two gangs or two groups of people. But in any contemporary novel that captures the life of American gangs, it would be clear as crystal that there is an external and additional factor, which is usually drugs, but may also be alcoholism or sex.

Violence is sometime necessary in a novel or any literature piece for the purpose of delivering a message, disregarding what the message is. Violence is a very controversial and notorious aspect of a literature piece and raises many concerns between adults, but it is necessary for the readers whether adults or teens to understand that violence exists and that is no solution to problems, and it is better to acquire knowledge about violence from a book rather to acquire from unnecessary experience that may harm someone.

In conclusion, a statement can be made that violence plays a great role in the novel in not only delivering a message that violence only leads to tragedy but also by portraying the American gang society in the 60s. Violence in the novel clearly and briefly captured the life of gangs such as the Socs and the Greasers by going into detail of the personal lives of different gang members and portraying the disputes and tensions between both groups and showing how they impacted them and how they impacted the community and society as a while. Violence also was fused into the plot to clarify and deliver the previously stated underlying message that violence is not the solution to anything and that mere use of any kind of violence may cause and lead to more inevitable violence, that will progressively and negatively cause nothing in thos world but more, loss, death and tragedy to the offenders and the offended. A conclusion can be made that S.E Hinton did a mesmerizing and breath taking job by writing such a phantasmagorical masterpiece of literature to be called a novel at such a young age. Other than that, the use of violence in this particulary amazing book played a great role to sending the previously stated message and contributed greatly to portraying and capturing the American gang societies in the 60s as it is.